Believe in the Stars
by whovianpower
Summary: When the Doctor was locked away in the Pandorica, the universe began to collapse. Only the earth remains, alone in the sky. The Doctor's adventures were erased from time, as were the aliens that ever threatened earth. Humans are the only ones left. But the Doctor's friends down on earth in 1996 know they're missing something in life. Among other things, they believe in the stars.
1. A Wilting Rose

**1996**

A young nine year old Rose crawled out her bedroom window. It was very easy once she had managed to pull the lock out of place. Even though Rose's bedroom was several stories high, she wasn't worried about the height. Once she had pulled herself through the window, she had landed with a soft plop onto the floor of the corridor outside her flat.  
Her mother was still sound asleep in the room across from Rose's bedroom when Rose slowly slid the door shut, leaving a small crack so that Rose could open it again. She started to walk down the corridor when she stopped. She looked over her shoulder, peering at her bed. She had stuffed her covers with stuffed animals, so that if her mother decided to glance into her room while she was gone, she would believe Rose was sound asleep. Rose knew that her mum knew better than to approach her sleeping daughter.  
Rose smiled, satisfied that her mother wouldn't guess that Rose was missing from her bed. She spun around and started skipping towards a small door at the end of the corridor. Her heart skipped a beat when she heard the soft murmur of her name.  
"Rose?"  
Rose spun around in time to see a very worn out Mickey Smith enter the corridor.  
Mickey has lived in the same building as Rose for as long as she could remember (however, he and his grandmother were going to move into another house soon). He was 13 years old with dark skin and really short hair. He watched Rose with confusion.  
"Rose, what are you doing out here?" he asked. He glanced at his watch and said, "It's after midnight. You should be in bed."  
Rose looked at the ground, rubbing the heel of one of her slippers into the concrete floor. Mickey approached her.  
Mickey has known her since she was young, and has even babysat her once or twice. He was real fond of her.  
"Rose, why are you out of bed?" he asked, ruffling her hair.  
Rose didn't smile like she usually would when he did that. She just continued to stare at the floor.  
"Rose, where are you going?" Mickey asked, more firmly this time.  
"Iwasgonalookfothbawof," Rose murmured very fast.  
Mickey narrowed his eyes.  
"What?"  
"I was gonna look for the bad wolf," Rose said, slower, but even quieter.  
For a moment, Mickey was confused. If it hadn't been so late, he would have gotten it instantly, but it took a few moments for the puzzle pieces to click in his head.  
Ever since Rose was a toddler, she'd talk about the 'Bad Wolf', an imaginary friend she had made up. She'd talk to Mickey about the 'Bad Wolf', never saying whether it was a he or a she, never telling what it looked like. Rose would always just say that she had a dream about the 'Bad Wolf'. When Mickey would ask what it looked like, Rose's eyes would get all misty and she'd say yellow.  
A yellow light.  
And every now and then, she'd sneak out during the day to look for the 'Bad Wolf' around Cardiff, but this was the first time Mickey had seen her out at night. Mickey guessed it must have been because of her mother.  
Mickey was the only person Rose ever told about the 'Bad Wolf'. If Jackie had learned about it, Mickey guessed she'd think Rose had gone mental. Sneaking out at night must have been the only opportunity Rose could find to continue her search.  
Rose was getting antsy during the brief silence which Mickey had spent piecing the whole mess together. She bounced slightly from foot to foot, her heart pounding, waiting for what Mickey would do.  
Would he let her go do her search for the 'Bad Wolf'?  
Would he get her mum, and get her in trouble?  
After a few moments, Mickey slowly nodded. He got to his knees to match Rose's height. She was still such a little thing, and Mickey had already gotten his growth spurt, so when he was at full height, he towered over Rose. Rose looked him in the eyes, the nervousness showing on her face.  
"Why are you looking for the 'Bad Wolf', Rose?" Mickey asked.  
"The 'Bad Wolf' called to me in my dream," she said simply. A small smile grew on her face. "Will you help me search for the 'Bad Wolf'?" she asked hopefully. Mickey's eyes flickered down to his wristwatch, where the numbers **12:42 **glowed brightly. Looking back at Rose's hopeful eyes, he let out a sigh. Whether or not he helps Rose, she would still go off to search. He couldn't let her wander around alone.  
"Fifteen minutes," he murmured. Rose grinned really big, grabbed his hand, which was still bigger than hers, and pulled him along. Mickey rolled his eyes as the little girl led him to the little door, which she then opened. She released his hand and hurried up the stairs, her little slippers making almost no noise as they tapped on the steps. Mickey didn't have to try hard to keep up with her as she made her way to the higher levels of the Powel Estate.  
Rose looked back at him happily, with a grin on her face. Mickey threw her back a small smile as Rose looked forward once more and pushed a door open at the top of the stairs.  
Mickey followed her through the door, shivering slightly as cool air hit his face once more. It took a moment to locate Rose, who was leaning against the railing on the edge of the roof. While Mickey was sure the railing would hold, the whole idea of her leaning on it like that made him nervous. Without a word, he scooped her up and carefully swung her away from the railing. She laughed.  
Around anyone else, Rose wouldn't act so childish, but Mickey was almost like a big brother so Rose was willing to have more fun. Mickey plopped her onto the ground and sat beside her, and they looked up at the moon, shining brightly in the sky. There wasn't a single cloud in sight, leaving the rest of the night pitch black.  
Rose lay onto her back and watched the sky. Mickey's neck started to strain from looking straight up, so he lay down too.  
After a few moments, Mickey heard himself say, "You know Rose, there's this story…"  
Rose glanced over at him, immediately interested. "What story?"  
Mickey pointed upward towards the black of the night. "Do you see the darkness?"  
Rose gave a small nod.  
"Well, there are some stories that say there should be something else in the sky."  
Rose got to her knees and looked down at Mickey, who laid flat on the ground. "What should be in the sky?" Rose asked excitedly. The thirteen year old boy looked at her and grinned at her perkiness.  
"People say there should be these things," he said slowly, "Called _stars_."  
"Stars?" Rose repeated. "What are stars?"  
"They're these little silver dots that are supposed to light up the sky," he said with a smile. Rose was really enjoying this story. "Some say, that if you look at the stars a certain way, they make shapes in the sky. People call those, constellations."  
"I want to see some constellations," Rose said. "Where are the stars?"  
Mickey chuckled. "There are no such things as stars," he said. "It's just a story. A bedtime story."  
"Oh," Rose replied, her face falling. She leaned back to the ground and looked back at the sky, her short hair sprawled across the concrete. "If there were stars in the sky, night would be much more beautiful."  
"Yeah," Mickey agreed. "Although, some people take it too seriously. Every night they'll search for the stars." Not fully listening to Mickey, Rose stared up at the sky, as if trying to spot one speck of silver among the black as her small smile faded into nothing.  
"I wish stars were real."  
Mickey nodded slightly, and the two kids lay on the concrete, staring up at the dark night sky.  
After some time, Mickey looked at his watch, which read **1:05 **and got to his feet. Rose's eyes followed him.  
"Where are you going?" she asked.  
Mickey reached down and grasped her hand, pulling her to her tiny feet. His foot reached for her slippers, which she had kicked off earlier, and pushed them in her direction.  
"It's time for you to go back to your room," he said.  
Rose groaned. "But I didn't get to look for the 'Bad Wolf'," she moaned.  
"Ok, Rose," Mickey said. "I'll help you look for it later. But now, you've gotta got to bed. Your mother will think that it's weird if she sees you sleeping till noon on a Saturday."  
Rose gave an unwilling nod, and followed as Mickey led her back to her flat.  
He reached for the handle, but Rose shook her head 'no'.  
"Why?"  
"She'll hear you. She always hears when the door is opened."  
Mickey raised an eyebrow. "Then how _you _get out?"  
After a moment of chewing on the inside of her cheek, Rose pointed to her bedroom window a few feet away. It took Mickey a few minutes to notice the crack in the window  
"You climbed through the window?" Mickey asked. Rose gave a small nod, and a huge grin covered Mickey's face. "Well played, kid. Sounds like something I would do."  
"What are you doing up late?" Rose asked out of the blue. Mickey was surprised for a moment and there was a delay before his reply.  
"I couldn't sleep so I went on a walk."  
Rose raised an eyebrow.  
"What?"  
Rose gave him her famous 'I don't buy it' look.  
Mickey groaned. "Fine, I snuck out for a party."  
"Was it worth it?" Rose asked curiously. Mickey grinned.  
"Completely."  
Not asking for details, the little girl slid her window open and climbed through.  
"Bye, Mickey," Rose said.  
"G'night, Rose," he replied as Rose slid the window shut. With that, Mickey started hurrying back to his flat, where his grandmother was probably either sleeping or worrying like crazy.

* * *

Inside her flat, Rose peered through her bedroom door into her mother's room. She sighed in relief as she saw her mum breathing evenly without a hitch. For the first time, Rose realized how thirsty she was, and tip-toed off to the kitchen to get a drink.  
Rose didn't know how to make tea yet, so she poured herself a glass of milk and walked into the living room with the glass cupped in her hands. She took a sip as she looked out the window at the blackness that was the sky. She found herself imagining stars, dreaming for them to be real.  
Rose suddenly wondered why her mum had never told her of the stars. Rose didn't have many friends, just one girl, called Shareen, but other than that, there was no one who could really tell her any stories, other than Mickey.  
His words floated through her mind.  
_Some people take it too seriously. Every night they'll search for the stars.  
_Maybe her mum was worried that if Rose knew the story she'd become like those people who never give up on looking for the stars. Maybe that was why Rose had never heard that bed time story.  
Rose's thoughts floated back to her dream of the 'Bad Wolf' that had made her want to sneak out in the first place that night.  
_It had been dark. Rose was in her flat, although her mother wasn't there. She was out. Rose didn't know where to, but she hadn't really thought about it in her dream. Rose lay in her bed, watching the ceiling when a flash of yellow light appeared at the foot of her bed. Rose's mouth fell open slightly as she felt her heart begin to pound. She head a slight whisper, like the rustling of tree leaves, and felt the room get hot.  
"Hello?" she squeaked. There was no understandable reply, just a strange sound, like a leaf blower wheezing. The light shined brighter, and Rose recognized it as the 'Bad Wolf'.  
At that moment…_ Rose had woken up, and she felt as if she needed to go searching for it immediately.  
Without turning on the light, Rose sat on her couch in front of the darkened TV, sipping her milk, lost in thought. When she had snuck out, she hadn't expected to run into Mickey, nor be back so quickly. At that moment, Rose realized that this was the first time that she had ever snuck out at night, and she had managed to without waking her mother.  
She smiled really big at that.  
Chugging down the rest of her milk, Rose walked into the kitchen and put the glass in the sink. She knew her mum would probably notice the extra dish in the sink, but Rose figured her mum would think it was just something she forgot to wash after dinner.  
Rose trudged back to her room and pulled the stuffed animals out from under her covers. She carelessly pushed them onto the floor as she settled under her blankets. As soon as she rested her head on the pillow, she was fast asleep.  
She slept till noon the next morning without having another dream.

* * *

The next evening, Saturday night, after she did fall asleep, she did dream. Only this time, she didn't dream of the 'Bad Wolf'.  
She dreamt of the stars.  
She watched the constellations form from the silver specks, noting how they somehow lit up the night sky without giving much light. She was truly happy.  
Until one by one, they started going out.  
Soon, the sky in her dream matched the sky above the Powel Estate.  
She heard it again, the sound of the wheezing leaf blowers as she looked up at the sky. In her dream, it was suddenly day time, and she saw the sun, burning.  
Although it wasn't the sun.  
She heard the wheezing once more.  
Suddenly, as if her entire world had collapsed, Rose was no more.  
Like everyone in the Powel Estate, everyone in Cardiff, and everyone in the world with the exception of four people in an empty museum, she was gone.  
Rose Tyler had never been born.

* * *

_**Aright, a couple things.  
This story takes place during 'The Big Bang'. I wrote this on the idea that when the universe was shrinking, none of the Doctor's travels and adventures happened, changing the lives of his companions. However, the companions know that they're missing something in life, and that is where this story works. For Rose, it was the Bad Wolf.  
Also, since Amelia went to the museum with her aunt, I am guessing it was on a weekend, so the Big Bang takes place on a Saturday. That is when everyone disappears. I hope this story isn't confusing, so please don't hate me if it is.  
**_


	2. A Forgotten Story

Ten year old Martha Jones sat at the table in her kitchen, with homework papers spread out all over the table.  
It was a Friday afternoon, and the sun was beginning to set. The setting sun was just out of view from the window across the room. Martha should know. She had been craning her neck to try to see it.  
Martha just finished her science homework and had begun on her math when her twelve year old sister, Tish (her real name is Letitia, but for the time being, call her that, and you die) began arguing with her mum (who was the only one who _could _call her Letitia) about some sleepover she had been invited to.  
"Letitia, I told you, no," Martha's mum growled. "You're too young to go on a sleepover by yourself."  
"Mum, I'm twelve years old," Tish growled. "You need to stop treating me like I'm a baby. I'm not!"  
Martha looked up from her homework to watch the argument that was boiling in front of her. Tish and Francine stood in front of the kitchen table shouting at each other.  
"Please, mum!" Tish said. "I've been well behaved. I've got good grades on my report card."  
"You failed French," her mum corrected.  
"Because my teacher hates me!" Tish retaliated. "He woulda failed me even if I spoke French like—like…" she stuttered, trying to think of an example, but ended up throwing her hands in the air. "Like a real French man!"  
"You, as a man?" Martha snickered, unable to hide her laughter. Tish shot her a death glare.  
"Go away!" she snapped.  
"Letitia," her mother warned. "Be polite to your sister."  
"Make her be nice first!"  
They started going at it again.  
Martha couldn't concentrate with their yelling. She glanced down at her math homework, and shrugged to herself.  
She could do it later.  
Stuffing everything into her bag, Martha stood up and walked to her bedroom, shutting the door behind her. Judging by the shouts from the other women in her family, Martha had the feeling that they didn't even notice that she had left.  
Martha threw herself onto her bed and stared up at the ceiling of her bedroom. Her eyes followed the weird spiraling lines of dried paint that colored the ceiling a simple yellowish color.  
Martha just stared up into space, waiting for a memory to surface in her mind to occupy her time. After a couple minutes, her mind floated to a story she had to write for class once. She remembered sitting in front of her paper for a very long time, trying to come up with a story. She remembered that she never was able to write it. There was just a story that Martha just couldn't think of. Something she forgot.  
The strange thing is that she felt as if she needed to tell this story. Like the whole world needed to know. Martha just felt a need to get it out, even if she had to walk through every country in the world. If only she could remember it.  
Martha eventually floated back to reality from her thoughts, and the arguing between Tish and her mum became louder and clearer once more; it was still going strong.  
"Mum, you've got to let me go," Tish's voice carried into Martha's room. "Lily's managed to get all of the cool girls to come. If I don't show, I'll be a joke! It's only ten girls!"  
"Exactly," her mum replied. "Usually it's just you and Lily and sometimes Martha. Ten girls is unacceptable."  
"You'd let me go if Martha went!"  
At this, Martha's eyes shot open.  
"Well…" she heard her mum murmur. "I suppose…"  
Martha jumped out of the bed. She barreled into the kitchen with the force of a truck and half screamed, "I am not going to a sleepover with a bunch of older kids!"  
Tish shot her a look of pure venom, which quickly was replaced by a rather forced smile.  
"Come on, Martha. It'll be fun."  
"Why should I?" she demanded.  
"Because," Tish said, smiling forcedly. She didn't finish the sentence.  
Tish knew why Martha didn't want to go. Martha always felt out of place around kids Tish's age. Besides, it wasn't like Tish wanted her there; having a little stupid sister there can't be considered 'cool'.  
Martha and Tish stared at each other, hard looks on their faces. Nothing was happening, so her mother threw her hands up into the air.  
"I haven't got time for this," she snapped. "Make up your minds. Letitia, you're not going to that sleepover without Martha."  
"Then I guess she's not going," Martha snapped, turning to go back to her bedroom.  
"Martha, please," Tish exclaimed. "I'll do anything!"  
Martha froze. She turned slowly and glanced at Tish's begging face. "Anything?" she repeated. Tish nodded, and Martha thought for a second. "Do my chores for a week?"  
Francine scoffed at this, but didn't say anything. Tish was silent, Martha watching her closely. "Well?" she asked.  
"Oh, fine," Tish grumbled. She turned to her mother. "Well?"  
Francine bit the inside of her cheek. She rolled her eyes and said, "I guess."  
"Oh yes! Thank you!" Tish exclaimed. She gave her mother a hug, and then gave one to a rather unhappy Martha ("OI!"), and hurried to her bedroom to call Lily on the landline.  
"Don't forget to do your chores!" Francine called after her.  
"And mine!" Martha added, which caused Francine to smile a bit.  
"And _you_, go do your homework."  
"But mum—"  
"_Go._"

* * *

Saturday went by in the blink of an eye. It was as if the day had grown very short. And before she knew it, Martha was throwing a change of clothes into a bag. She tossed a hairbrush in, followed by a book and a few other things, and zipped it up. She slung it over her shoulder.  
"You ready to go?" asked a voice. Martha turned around and saw her mother standing in the doorway. A frown appeared on Martha's face.  
"Do I have to go?"  
"YES!" came a snap from behind Francine. Tish appeared and beckoned Martha forward. "Mum's about to drive us."  
Martha rolled her eyes and walked out of her bedroom, shutting the door behind her.

* * *

In what felt like no time at all, Martha was surrounded by a loud group of girls giggling their heads off.  
As soon as they had gotten through the door, Tish had run off to say hello to Lily, leaving Martha standing in the hallway by herself. All the other girls had arrived and were chattering loudly in the living room. They didn't take notice to her.  
Martha walked quietly into the room and dropped her bag on the couch next to a girl with a long braid. It landed in front of her foot.  
The girl turned around and snapped at her.  
"Watch it!" she snapped. The girl glared at her for a second before pushing Martha's bag off the couch and onto the floor. She smiled rudely before looking back at the girl she had been talking to. Martha frowned. All of Tish's friends are so rude. She bent down and picked her bag up off the floor, swinging it over her shoulder. She heard the girl whispering a snarky comment about 'stupid little girls', followed by a giggle from her friend.  
Lily and Tish ran past her as she walked into the hallway. Neither of them stopped to make her feel welcome.  
Martha let out a deep breath and sank down the wall, her bag plopping down next to her. Why did she ever agree to go to this dumb sleepover? When Tish had said 'the cool girls', Martha knew that cool generally meant stuck up and rude. What was she thinking?  
Martha began trying to get lost in thought, with some difficulty since the girls in the other room wouldn't shut up. After a few moments, her thoughts floated back to what she had been thinking about the day before. That story she felt as if she needed to tell.  
She still couldn't remember it. She tried as hard as she could but she couldn't think of anything in the story except… wait a moment… there was a man in it. An extraordinary man. That was all she could think of. She didn't have time to think of anything else before she heard a commotion in the living room.  
Lily's mother had brought out a huge plate of biscuits, and all the girls were rushing to them. Martha stood up and started to hurry towards the plate when it was surrounded by a thick group of girls. Lily's mother watched them snatch them up. When the girls cleared out, Martha hurried up to the plate. All that was left were a few crumbs.  
"Sorry, Martha," Lily's mother said. "Those were the only biscuits I had."  
Braid-girl giggled. Martha shrugged and started to wander back to her bag. She passed Tish, who was munching on biscuits with Lily. Martha saw that she had an extra biscuit and looked at her hopefully. Tish met her eye and stuck the snack into her mouth.

* * *

A few hours of wandering later, Lily's mother had declared it to be lights out time. Martha changed into her pajamas (it took a while since the girls kept hogging the bathrooms) and pulled her green sleeping bag out of her bag. She was about to roll it out near the couch when braid-girl (or, Tianna, as Lily had called her) stepped in front of her.  
"Find another spot," she snapped. Martha stepped back, and Tianna rolled out her own pink bag in the spot. Her rude friend set hers up too.  
Martha ended up setting hers up in a corner. She laid down in it facing the wall so she couldn't see Tish and the other girls starting to talk in a hushed voice. But she could still hear them.  
"We should tell some stories," Lily suggested.  
"Like what?" Tish asked.  
"I dunno, like legends or something. Ally, how about you try?"  
There was silence before a girl spoke. Martha recognized her voice as Tianna's friend.  
"Well, I do know one story," Ally began. "My parents used to tell me it when I was little. The story goes that little things called stars lit up the sky."  
"Stars?" Martha whispered. No one heard, and Ally continued her story.  
"They were these little silver things that you could see at night. They say that you could see the whole universe!"  
"_That _sounds farfetched," said a girl called Danielle.  
"Well it _is _a story," Ally snapped. "Anyway, they say that the stars were in special places so that they formed pictures called constipations."  
"I think you mean constellations," Tianna put in, laughter evident in her voice.  
"How would little dots form pictures?" Lily asked.  
"I think it was like connect the dots," Ally replied. "The story says that it is the most beautiful sight in all the world."  
The girls started chattering again. Martha wasn't listening anymore. She was too busy thinking about stars.  
The corner where she had set up her sleeping bag was right under a window. Martha tried to imagine what the black sky would look like with stars lighting it up.  
She thought it would have been beautiful.  
She was brought down to earth by the sound of her sister's voice.  
"They say that if you drink from the fountain, you would stay young forever!" she said. Martha recognized the story as one that her mother would tell them when they were little. She listened as Tish continued the story. "They say that the fountain is somewhere in France, hidden from view. It would be amazing to find it."  
Without thinking, Martha said, "Spain."  
Martha hadn't turned around, but she knew that every girl had their eyes on her. Martha sat up and faced them.  
"What was that?" Tish asked.  
"The story goes that the fountain is in Spain, not France," Martha said. Tish's face went slightly red as a couple girls giggled at her mistake.  
"Well, how about you try telling a story?" Tish snapped.  
Martha stared her down. It was a challenge.  
"But I don't know any more legends," Martha said.  
"Then make one up."  
Martha thought for a moment. "There is one story," she murmured. "I think there is one that everyone should know. Not just us, everyone in the entire world. It has meaning. I think someone should travel around the earth and tell it. They should walk the world telling this story." Martha had no idea why she was saying this stuff. She felt as if the words were pouring out of her mouth, like she had no control over it.  
"What story, then?" Tianna asked.  
"About a man," Martha murmured.  
"What kind of man?" asked another girl who Martha couldn't name. Martha couldn't believe it. The girls were starting to seem interested.  
Martha smiled. "An extraordinary man. He's done so many things that had helped the world, not just us, the universe. He's the most important man in the universe."  
"What did he do?" Ally asked. Martha opened her mouth to answer, but nothing came out. Her eyebrows furrowed. The girls stared at her, waiting for a reply.  
"Well?" said Tianna. "What did he do? Spit it out!"  
"I don't know…" Martha replied.  
Tish threw her hands up in the air. "How could you not know?" she demanded incredulously. "It's a story _you _made up!"  
"I just don't know."  
"Well tell us you at least know his name."  
Once again, Martha was at a loss. She didn't answer, and that was all Tianna needed.  
"Wow, little girl," she said. "Great story." The girls laughed, and Martha put her head down. Tish stared at her through narrowed eyes, disappointment and embarrassment on her face. Her friends must think her sister was in idiot.  
Martha laid back down with her back to them, trying her best to ignore the other girls. After a few minutes, their attention floated to other things, and Martha was left alone.  
She felt so stupid. How could she not remember anything other than the fact that the man was incredible? What did he do? What was his name? Why was Martha thinking about him as if he were real? Was he?  
The minutes dragged by slowly, and the chattering died down. The girls went to sleep, one by one. As the last one drifted off to sleep, Martha laid awake, trying to remember the story she had forgotten. Why was it so important to her? Why did she feel like everyone need to know it, like the world depended on it?  
As she drifted off into a dreamless sleep, she heard a distant wheezing, nothing that she could recognize. It echoed in her ears. Most girls would think it was weird, but Martha didn't. Despite he never hearing it in her life, it was comforting in her last moments—her last moments of life, that is.  
But she didn't die. She was unraveled. She was erased. At that moment, every living person in the room—no—in the world was gone.  
Martha Jones had never been born.

* * *

_**I hope you don't hate it. I live for reviews.**_


End file.
